What's On Your Workbench? (Winter 2024-2025)

Chris Ellerby · December 2024

We love seeing current projects from our community members. Sharing your work on our forums not only gets your work seen by a large audience but also motivates and inspires other artists. We may even feature some of your projects on our social media!

You can either share images and videos below as comments on this discussion or post your own discussion with your work. So don't be shy, show us what you've got!

What's On Your Workbench?

Tracey Simmons · December 2024

Hello! I’ve been wanting a Stan Winston School membership since you first started, and was finally able to get one during your Black Friday sale. I’m following the lessons on creating a silicone mask, to create a partial mask of a Ferengi from Star Trek. I had already sculpted most of the piece, but I’m finding the lessons on texture extremely helpful as I apply finishing details. He needs more texturing still, but I’m in the home stretch. I’m hoping to wear the finished piece to Star Trek San Francisco next month.

Jason Jacobs · January 10

I just wrapped up molding and casting my Biomechanical. I ran with a glove mold for the main body, a two part mold for the main head, and two box mold's for the tail and smaller heads. It was a lot of work. Made some mistakes along the way, but learned a ton. And best of all, the molds worked and I am able to reproduce my Biomechanical!

The main body is a huge amount of resin, so this weekend I am testing out a hollow cast with a foam fill. All of this is brand new to me, so it's been an adventure. Used Smooth-Cast 305, Mold-Star 30, and Free-Form Air for the shell. Cracked my shell at one point, but was able to glue back so no problem. A speed vid (if it actually embeds) and some pics:

https://youtu.be/awsf7g-eOC8?si=rS1TnEQttVb_rGkv

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Darrell Green · January 13

You DID IT!!!! I was fingers crossed the whole time you were going through the stages. Needing such a complex mold "system" for this and getting it right as a first project and NOT DESTROYING YOUR SCULPT......
Hats off to you. I think you earned the title "Newb Savant". Very cool, congrats. And thank you for your process pics. Pop a thread link on therpf if you haven't already. I know some folks were following it there as well.

Jason Jacobs · January 13

Thank you! More work than I really anticipated. It was a good feeling pulling those first casts. Not much for cleanup either. I did try making a hollow cast of the body this past weekend, but it didn't work. Came out pockmarked with bubbles and missing details. I think the mold is too detailed for a manual rotation cast. Going to get some URE-Fill and cut the resin with that to save on casting costs. Anyway, I meant to post on therpf as well - thank you for the reminder!

Tracey Simmons · January 14

Jason, these are so cool! You did a really great job with the molds, it looks like you were really careful about setting up for success. I hope I'm as fortunate and prepared when I do my Ferengi head molds over the next few days!

Jason Jacobs · January 14

Tracey Simmons said:

Jason, these are so cool! You did a really great job with the molds, it looks like you were really careful about setting up for success. I hope I'm as fortunate and prepared when I do my Ferengi head molds over the next few days!

Thank you Tracey! I look forward to seeing your Ferengi molds.

TJ makes stuff · January 15

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5020761/uploads/editor/75/n1gi18irvfyi.jpeg

A fun shrunken head project the above clay is Chavant medium.
i made a matrix mold with a rigid silicone and cast the final with Platinum silicone, I ended up tinting the silicone with smooth on pigments and flocking, and airbrushed it with smooth on paints. Am not completely finished will do a little more finishing to the paintwork and add hair. Will glue on hair but leave some spacing around the glued on hair for hair punching. Has been fun watching the videos. In the 80s I made monster masks in my bedroom, was good times. Just getting back into it.

Jason Jacobs · January 15

TJ makes stuff said:

A fun shrunken head project the above clay is Chavant medium.
i made a matrix mold with a rigid silicone and cast the final with Platinum silicone, I ended up tinting the silicone with smooth on pigments and flocking, and airbrushed it with smooth on paints. Am not completely finished will do a little more finishing to the paintwork and add hair. Will glue on hair but leave some spacing around the glued on hair for hair punching. Has been fun watching the videos. In the 80s I made monster masks in my bedroom, was good times. Just getting back into it.

These are great TJ! So cool. Would love to see the matrix mold you did for these if you have any pics.

Tracey Simmons · January 18

I spent all day in the shed today, and got the clay wall mostly laid up for the molds. I ended up stopping there and covering everything in plastic to keep the clay wet overnight, because my shoulders started to hurt. Tomorrow I will make the front half of the fiberglass mold. This is not my first time making molds and casting objects, but it is my first time working with fiberglass. Hoping it goes smoothly!

John Terebetsky · January 24

I finished my short capstone, Dreams of R’lyeh, including some pictures of the Cthulhu puppet, as well as a current werewolf puppet parts in progress for an upcoming project.

What's On Your Workbench? (Winter 2024-2025)

What's On Your Workbench?

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